Vehicle display device

ABSTRACT

A vehicle display device includes: a display unit that is disposed in a host vehicle and that displays an image; an imaging unit that captures an image of circumstances surrounding the host vehicle; and a controller configured to perform processing through which, by controlling the display unit, a virtual vehicle image representing a virtual vehicle imitating the host vehicle is displayed, and the image of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle captured by the imaging unit is pasted for display as a reflected image representing reflection in the host vehicle onto an outer panel of the virtual vehicle represented by the virtual vehicle image.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application claims priority to and incorporates by referencethe entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-170450 filedin Japan on Sep. 12, 2018.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a vehicle display device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-149306, for example,discloses a vehicle display device that includes a display unit, animaging unit, and a display controller. The display controller causesthe display unit to display a marker image including a rearview mirrorimage relating to a host vehicle and to display, at a positioncorresponding to an imaging direction with reference to the markerimage, a rearward image captured by the imaging unit.

A further improvement can be made on the vehicle display devicedisclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-149306. Anexample of the further improvement is display that is more readilyunderstandable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of the foregoingcircumstances and it is an object of the present invention to provide avehicle display device that can appropriately display circumstancessurrounding a host vehicle.

In order to achieve the above mentioned object, a vehicle display deviceaccording to one aspect of the present invention includes a display unitdisposed in a host vehicle and displaying an image; an imaging unit thatcaptures an image of circumstances surrounding the host vehicle; and acontroller configured to perform processing through which, bycontrolling the display unit, a virtual vehicle image representing avirtual vehicle imitating the host vehicle is displayed, and the imageof the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle captured by theimaging unit is pasted for display as a reflected image representingreflection in the host vehicle onto an outer panel of the virtualvehicle represented by the virtual vehicle image.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in the vehicledisplay device, it is possible to configure that the controller controlsthe display unit to vary an orientation of the virtual vehiclerepresented by the virtual vehicle image according to changes in theimage of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle captured by theimaging unit.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, in thevehicle display device, it is possible to configure that the controllercontrols the display unit to emphasize a specific object imagerepresenting a specific object included in the reflected image.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, in thevehicle display device, it is possible to further include that a hostvehicle status detecting device that detects a status of the hostvehicle, wherein the controller varies the orientation of the virtualvehicle represented by the virtual vehicle image according to the statusof the host vehicle detected by the host vehicle status detectingdevice.

In order to achieve the above mentioned object, a vehicle display deviceaccording to still another aspect of the present invention includes adisplay unit disposed in a host vehicle and displaying an image; anacquisition unit that acquires an image of circumstances surrounding thehost vehicle, the image being captured by an imaging unit; and acontroller configured to perform processing through which, bycontrolling the display unit, a virtual vehicle image representing avirtual vehicle imitating the host vehicle is displayed, and the imageof the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle acquired by theacquisition unit is pasted for display as a reflected image representingreflection in the host vehicle onto an outer panel of the virtualvehicle represented by the virtual vehicle image.

The above and other objects, features, advantages and technical andindustrial significance of this invention will be better understood byreading the following detailed description of presently preferredembodiments of the invention, when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a schematic configuration of a vehicledisplay device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view schematically illustrating a displayunit of the vehicle display device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an example of a display image in thevehicle display device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an example of the display image in thevehicle display device according to the embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates an example of processingperformed by the vehicle display device according to the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following details, with reference to the accompanying drawings, anembodiment of the present invention. The embodiment is illustrative onlyand should not be considered limiting. The elements described hereunderinclude those that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the artor those that are substantially identical to each other.

Embodiment

A vehicle display device 1 according to the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2 is mounted on a host vehicle V and displays various typesof information on the host vehicle V. Specifically, the host vehicle Vis a vehicle on which the vehicle display device 1 in the embodiment ismounted. The vehicle display device 1 in the embodiment pastes areflected image 200, which can vary depending on circumstancessurrounding the host vehicle V, onto a virtual vehicle image 100 todisplay, in an intuitive and easy to understand manner, thecircumstances surrounding the host vehicle V. The following details,with reference to the accompanying drawings, each of variousconfigurations of the vehicle display device 1.

Specifically, the vehicle display device 1 includes a display unit 2, animaging unit 3, a host vehicle status detecting device 4, and acontroller 5.

The display unit 2 is mounted on the host vehicle V and displays animage. Examples of the display unit 2 include, but are not limited to, athin liquid crystal display, a plasma display, and an organic electroluminescence (EL) display. The display unit 2 in the embodimentconstitutes what is called an in-vehicle meter. The display unit 2 ismounted, for example, on an instrument panel disposed in a dashboard ofthe host vehicle V and displays various types of information on the hostvehicle V as information provided for driving of the host vehicle V. Thedisplay unit 2 displays, for example, meter images 21 and 22(illustrated only schematically in FIG. 2). The meter images 21 and 22represent images of various types of meters, such as a speedometer and atachometer that indicate, as information on the host vehicle V, avehicle speed of the host vehicle V and an output speed of a drive powersource, respectively, through a pointer or a scale. The display unit 2in the embodiment has a driving support display area 23. The drivingsupport display area 23 is disposed between the meter image 21 and themeter image 22. The driving support display area 23 displays variousimages for supporting driving in the host vehicle V. The display unit 2in the embodiment displays, for example, the virtual vehicle image 100and the reflected image 200 in the driving support display area 23.

The vehicle display device 1 may include, instead of the meter images 21and 22 displayed in the display unit 2, analog meters constituting, forexample, the speedometer and the tachometer. The display unit 2 mayconstitute, for example, a center display mounted in a center console,instead of the in-vehicle meter. Alternatively, a navigation systemdisplay device may serve as the display unit 2. The display unit 2 mayeven be, for example, what is called a head-up display.

The imaging unit 3 captures an image of circumstances surrounding thehost vehicle V. The imaging unit 3 is configured, for example, as animaging device such as a CCD camera that continuously captures images ofthe circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V. The imaging unit 3typically captures images of the omnidirectional circumstancessurrounding the host vehicle V excepting a lower surface side in avertical direction of the host vehicle V. The imaging unit 3 mayincorporate a single wide-angle imaging device or a plurality of imagingdevices to cover the omnidirectional imaging range excepting the lowersurface side in the vertical direction of the host vehicle V.

The host vehicle status detecting device 4 detects a status of the hostvehicle V. The host vehicle status detecting device 4 includes varioustypes of sensors and detectors that detect statuses of the host vehicleV. The host vehicle status detecting device 4 detects various types ofinformation as host vehicle status information representing the statusesof the host vehicle V. Examples of the host vehicle status informationinclude, but are not limited to: vehicle speed information, acceleration(such as acceleration in a vehicle front-back direction, acceleration ina vehicle width direction, and acceleration in a vehicle roll direction)information, steering angle information, accelerator pedal operationamount (accelerator pedal depression amount) information, brake pedaloperation amount (brake pedal depression amount) information, shiftposition information, current/voltage value information at differenceparts of the vehicle, electricity storage amount information of anelectricity storage device, current position information (GPSinformation) of the host vehicle V. The host vehicle status detectingdevice 4 includes various types of sensors and detectors including, forexample, a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a steeringangle sensor, an accelerator pedal sensor, a brake pedal sensor, a shiftposition sensor, an ammeter/voltmeter, and a GPS receiver. The hostvehicle status detecting device 4 may include a processor such as anelectronic control unit (ECU) that controls various parts in the hostvehicle V.

The controller 5 integrally controls different parts of the vehicledisplay device 1. The controller 5 performs various types of processingfor achieving display given by the display unit 2. The ECU that controlsthe different parts of the host vehicle V may function as the controller5. The controller 5 includes an electronic circuit that serves mainly asa well-known microcomputer including a central processing unit (CPU), aROM, a RAM, and an interface. The controller 5 is connected withdifferent parts of the vehicle display device 1 including the displayunit 2, the imaging unit 3, and the host vehicle status detecting device4 so as to be capable of communicating with the different parts of thevehicle display device 1. The controller 5 thus can transmit and receivevarious types of signals to and from each of the different parts of thevehicle display device 1.

Specifically, the controller 5 includes, in terms of a functionalconcept, an interface 51, a storage 52, and a processor 53. Theinterface 51, the storage 52, and the processor 53 each can transmit andreceive various types of information to and from each of the differenttypes of devices connected electrically.

The interface 51 serves as an interface for transmitting and receivingvarious types of information to and from each of the different parts ofthe vehicle display device 1 including the display unit 2, the imagingunit 3, and the host vehicle status detecting device 4. The interface 51has, for example, a function of performing wired communication with eachof the different parts of the vehicle display device 1 via, for example,an electric wire and a function of performing wireless communicationwith each of the different parts of the vehicle display device 1 via,for example, a wireless communication unit.

The storage 52 is, for example, a ROM, a RAM, and a semiconductormemory. The storage 52 stores, for example, conditions or informationrequired for various types of processing performed by the vehicledisplay device 1 and various programs, applications, and control data tobe performed by the processor 53. The storage 52 stores various types ofimage information to be displayed by the display unit 2 (e.g., imageinformation relating to, for example, the virtual vehicle image 100 tobe described later). The storage 52 also stores three-dimensional mapinformation, for example. The storage 52 can also temporarily storevarious types of detection information detected by the host vehiclestatus detecting device 4 and various types of information acquired bythe processor 53. The processor 53 loads the foregoing types ofinformation from the storage 52 as required.

The processor 53 assumes an arithmetic operation part that performsvarious programs stored in the storage 52 and performs various types ofprocessing for achieving various functions that can be performed byoperation of the different parts of the vehicle display device 1 throughrunning of the programs. The processor 53 includes, in terms of afunctional concept, an acquisition unit 53 a, an image processing unit53 b, and a display controller 53 c.

The acquisition unit 53 a has a function of performing processing foracquiring various types of information used for various types ofprocessing performed by the vehicle display device 1. The acquisitionunit 53 a acquires, for example, image information of an image of thecircumstances surrounding the host vehicle V captured by the imagingunit 3 and detection information detected by the host vehicle statusdetecting device 4. The acquisition unit 53 a can store the varioustypes of information acquired thereby in the storage 52.

The image processing unit 53 b has a function of performing varioustypes of image processing on images to be displayed by the display unit2. The image processing unit 53 b generates the images to be displayedby the display unit 2 on the basis of, for example, the various types ofimage information stored in the storage 52, the image information of theimage of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V captured bythe imaging unit 3 and acquired by the acquisition unit 53 a, and thedetection information detected by the host vehicle status detectingdevice 4 and acquired by the acquisition unit 53 a.

The display controller 53 c has a function of controlling the displayunit 2 and enabling processing for displaying the image to be performed.The display controller 53 c typically controls the display unit 2 andcauses the display unit 2 to display an image generated by the imageprocessing unit 53 b through image processing.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the processor 53 in the embodiment canperform processing for combining and displaying the virtual vehicleimage 100 and the reflected image 200 by controlling the display unit 2through the image processing unit 53 b and the display controller 53 c.

The virtual vehicle image 100 to be displayed in the display unit 2 isan image that represents a virtual vehicle 100A, which imitates the hostvehicle V. The virtual vehicle 100A may directly represent an outlineshape of the host vehicle V or simplify the outline shape of the hostvehicle V as appropriate. The reflected image 200 is an image thatvirtually imitates reflection in the host vehicle V on the basis of animage of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V captured bythe imaging unit 3 and acquired by the acquisition unit 53 a.

The image processing unit 53 b in the embodiment reads the virtualvehicle image 100 in the storage 52 and generates a display image thatrepresents the image of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle Vcaptured by the imaging unit 3 and acquired by the acquisition unit 53a, pasted as the reflected image 200 onto an outer panel (body) of thevirtual vehicle 100A, which the virtual vehicle image 100 represents. Inthis case, the image processing unit 53 b subjects the image of thecircumstances surrounding the host vehicle V and the virtual vehicleimage 100 to various types of well-known digital processing and mapping(texture mapping). Through the foregoing types of processing, the imageprocessing unit 53 b pastes, as the reflected image 200, the image ofthe circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V onto the outer panel ofthe virtual vehicle 100A, which the virtual vehicle image 100represents, thereby generating the display image.

For example, the image processing unit 53 b pastes an image posterior tothe host vehicle V out of the image of the circumstances surrounding thehost vehicle V, as a posterior reflected image 201, onto the outer panelof a rear portion of the virtual vehicle 100A. In the examplesillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the posterior reflected image 201 is animage having reflected therein, for example, an another vehicle image201a, which represents another vehicle V1 running to follow the hostvehicle V, a posterior road surface, and a posterior background.Similarly, the image processing unit 53 b pastes an image superior tothe host vehicle V out of the image of the circumstances surrounding thehost vehicle V, as a superior reflected image 202, onto the outer panelof an upper portion of the virtual vehicle 100A. The image processingunit 53 b pastes an image of a right lateral side of the host vehicle Vout of the image of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V, asa right lateral reflected image 203, onto the outer panel of a rightside portion of the virtual vehicle 100A. Although not illustrated, theimage processing unit 53 b also pastes images anterior to, and of a leftlateral side of, the host vehicle V, specifically, an image anterior tothe host vehicle V and an image of the left lateral side of the hostvehicle V out of the image of the circumstances surrounding the hostvehicle V, as an anterior reflected image and a left lateral reflectedimage, onto the outer panel of a front portion and a left side portion,respectively, of the virtual vehicle 100A.

The display controller 53 c controls the display unit 2 on the basis ofthe display image generated by the image processing unit 53 b andperforms processing for displaying the display image in the drivingsupport display area 23 of the display unit 2. Specifically, the displaycontroller 53 c displays on the display unit 2 the display image thatrepresents the image of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle Vcaptured by the imaging unit 3 and acquired by the acquisition unit 53a, the image of the circumstances being pasted as the reflected image200 onto the outer panel of the virtual vehicle 100A.

In this case, the display controller 53 c may display, in the displayunit 2, the virtual vehicle image 100 and the reflected image 200 in avirtual space, together with a road surface image or a background imagethat may vary depending on the current position of the host vehicle V.For example, the image processing unit 53 b reads from the storage 52three-dimensional map information to correspond with the currentposition information of the host vehicle V detected by the host vehiclestatus detecting device 4 and acquired by the acquisition unit 53 a andgenerates the road surface image or the background image to be displayedon the display unit 2. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the virtualvehicle image 100 and the reflected image 200 displayed on the roadsurface image that corresponds with the current position of the hostvehicle V. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the virtual vehicle image100 and the reflected image 200 displayed on the road surface image andthe background image that correspond with the current position of thehost vehicle V.

The processor 53 in the embodiment can vary an orientation of thevirtual vehicle 100A, which the virtual vehicle image 100 represents, bycontrolling the display unit 2 through the image processing unit 53 band the display controller 53 c, in response to changes in the image ofthe circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V, as illustrated in FIG.4. Additionally, the processor 53 in the embodiment can emphasize aspecific object image 300, which represents a specific object 300Aincluded in the reflected image 200, by controlling the display unit 2through the image processing unit 53 b and the display controller 53 cas illustrated in FIG. 4.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the right lateral reflected image203, which constitutes the reflected image 200, includes as the specificobject 300A the specific object image 300, which represents a person onthe right side of the host vehicle V. The image processing unit 53 bperforms various types of well-known personal recognition processing forthe image of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V capturedby the imaging unit 3 and, when a person is detected in the image,generates a display image that emphasizes the specific object image 300,in which the person is identified as the specific object 300A. The imageprocessing unit 53 b may, for example, increase contrast of the specificobject image 300 in the reflected image 200 relative to other areas toemphasize the specific object image 300. Alternatively, the imageprocessing unit 53 b may encircle the specific object image 300 toemphasize the specific object image 300.

When, for example, the image of the circumstances surrounding the hostvehicle V changes from a condition in which the specific object image300 is not included in the reflected image 200 to a condition in whichthe specific object image 300 is included in the reflected image 200,the image processing unit 53 b changes the orientation of the virtualvehicle 100A, which the virtual vehicle image 100 represents. In thiscase, the image processing unit 53 b generates, for example, a displayimage in which the virtual vehicle 100A is rotated such that thereflected image 200 including the specific object image 300 is orientedtoward a front side (the side on which a driver or the like can visuallyrecognize). In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the image processingunit 53 b generates a display image in which, for example, the virtualvehicle 100A is rotated clockwise such that the right lateral reflectedimage 203 faces the front side, thereby allows the right lateralreflected image 203 including the specific object image 300 to be easilyvisible.

The display controller 53 c displays the virtual vehicle image 100 andthe reflected image 200 on the display unit 2 on the basis of thedisplay image generated by the image processing unit 53 b. Specifically,the display controller 53 c displays in the display unit 2 the virtualvehicle image 100 and the reflected image 200, in which the specificobject image 300, which represents the specific object (person) 300A, isemphasized and in which the virtual vehicle 100A is rotated such thatthe reflected image 200 (right lateral reflected image 203) includingthe specific object image 300 is easily visible.

The processor 53 may control the display unit 2 through the imageprocessing unit 53 b and the display controller 53 c to vary theorientation of the virtual vehicle 100A, which the virtual vehicle image100 represents, according to the host vehicle status information thatrepresents the status of the host vehicle V and that is detected by thehost vehicle status detecting device 4 and acquired by the acquisitionunit 53 a. In this case, the image processing unit 53 b generates thedisplay image, in which the virtual vehicle 100A is rotated accordingto, for example, the steering angle information included in the hostvehicle status information. The display controller 53 c then displays onthe display unit 2 the virtual vehicle image 100, which represents thevirtual vehicle 100A rotated to correspond with the steering angle ofthe host vehicle V, and the reflected image 200, on the basis of thedisplay image generated by the image processing unit 53 b.

The processor 53 displays the image of the circumstances surrounding thehost vehicle V, captured by the imaging unit 3, together with thevirtual vehicle image 100, as the reflected image 200 on the displayunit 2 on a real-time basis. The image processing unit 53 b generates,at predetermined control cycles, sequential display images to correspondwith the image of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V,which varies every moment as the host vehicle V runs. The displaycontroller 53 c displays on the display unit 2 the display images thatare sequentially generated by the image processing unit 53 b on areal-time basis. The phrasing of “on a real-time basis”, as used herein,allows for a certain time lag required for, for example, processing theimages.

The following describes, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5, anexample of display processing performed by the vehicle display device 1.

When, for example, an ignition of the host vehicle V is turned ON, theimaging unit 3 starts capturing images of the circumstances surroundingthe host vehicle V and the acquisition unit 53 a acquires information onthe images of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V capturedby the imaging unit 3 (Step S1).

The image processing unit 53 b performs image processing on the basis ofthe information on the images of the circumstances surrounding the hostvehicle V acquired at Step S1 and generates a display image, in whichthe image of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V is pastedas the reflected image 200 on the outer panel of the virtual vehicle100A (Step S2).

The display controller 53 c controls the display unit 2 on the basis ofthe display image generated at Step S2 and displays on the display unit2 the display image, in which the image of the circumstances surroundingthe host vehicle V is pasted as the reflected image 200 on the outerpanel of the virtual vehicle 100A (Step S3).

The display controller 53 c determines whether the display by thedisplay unit 2 is to be terminated (Step S4). The display controller 53c determines that the display by the display unit 2 is to be terminatedwhen, for example, the ignition of the host vehicle V is turned OFF oran operation is performed to turn OFF the display by the display unit 2.

The display controller 53 c, when not determining that the display bythe display unit 2 is to be terminated (No at Step S4), returns to StepS1, and thereby causes subsequent steps to be repeated. The displaycontroller 53 c, when determining that the display by the display unit 2is to be terminated (Yes at Step S4), terminates the display processing.

The vehicle display device 1 described above can perform processingthrough which, by causing the controller 5 to control the display unit2, the image of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle Vcaptured by the imaging unit 3 is pasted for display as the reflectedimage 200, which represents reflection in the host vehicle V, onto theouter panel of the virtual vehicle 100A, which the virtual vehicle image100 represents. Through the foregoing processing, the vehicle displaydevice 1 can reflect in the outer panel of the virtual vehicle 100A,which the virtual vehicle image 100 represents, and display as thereflected image 200, for example, an actual scene, a building, anothervehicle, a person, and an obstacle in the circumstances surrounding thehost vehicle V. As a result, the vehicle display device 1 can display,on the display unit 2, in an intuitive and easy to understand manner,the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V through an imitation ofa natural phenomenon, so that the vehicle display device 1 canappropriately display the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V.Thus, the vehicle display device 1 can, for example, allow the driver orthe like of the host vehicle V to naturally and readily recognize whatare going on in the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V andenables the driver or the like to easily select information required fordriving. The vehicle display device 1 can display, as the reflectedimage 200 in the outer panel of the virtual vehicle 100A, the image ofthe circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V, which varies everymoment as the host vehicle V runs, on a real-time basis. As a result,the vehicle display device 1 can display the circumstances surroundingthe host vehicle V, which varies every moment in a readilyunderstandable manner.

The vehicle display device 1 described above can also vary in thedisplay unit 2 the orientation of the virtual vehicle 100A, which thevirtual vehicle image 100 represents, to correspond with changes in theimage of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle V captured bythe imaging unit 3. In this case, the vehicle display device 1 variesthe orientation of the virtual vehicle 100A to correspond with thechanges in the image of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicleV, thereby allowing changes in the circumstances surrounding the hostvehicle V to be easily recognized.

The vehicle display device 1 described above can also emphasize in thedisplay unit 2 the specific object image 300 included in the reflectedimage 200. In this case, the vehicle display device 1 can allow aspecific object 300A (e.g., a person) in the circumstances surroundingthe host vehicle V to be more readily recognized.

The vehicle display device 1 described above can also vary theorientation of the virtual vehicle 100A, which the virtual vehicle image100 represents, according to the status of the host vehicle V detectedby the host vehicle status detecting device 4. In this case, the vehicledisplay device 1 can display the status of the host vehicle V with theorientation of the virtual vehicle 100A, which the virtual vehicle image100 represents, so that the vehicle display device 1 can allow thestatus of the host vehicle V to be more readily recognized.

The vehicle display device according to the embodiment of the presentinvention described above is for illustrative purposes only and it willbe understood that various modifications can be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The processor 53 (image processing unit 53 b, the display controller 53c) described above may be configured so as not to paste the reflectedimage 200 onto any face that is not displayed in any display mode in thevirtual vehicle 100A, which the virtual vehicle image 100 represents.

The imaging unit 3 described above may be configured so as to serve alsoas an existing imaging unit provided in the host vehicle V in advance.

The controller 5 described above may be configured such that theelements thereof are configured separately from each other and connectedwith each other so as to be capable of transmitting and receivingvarious electric signals to and from each other, and such that part ofthe functions thereof is achieved by another control device. Theprograms, applications, and the various types of data described abovemay be updated as appropriate, or stored in a server connected with thevehicle display device 1 over any network. All or part of the programs,applications, and the various types of data described above may, forexample, be downloaded as necessary. Additionally, the processingfunctions of the controller 5 may be, in whole or in any part, achievedby, for example, a CPU and a program that is interpreted and performedby the CPU, or may be achieved by hardware including a wired logiccircuit.

The vehicle display device in the embodiment can perform processingthrough which, through control of the display unit by the controller,the image of the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle captured bythe imaging unit is pasted for display as the reflected imagerepresenting reflection in the host vehicle onto the outer panel of thevirtual vehicle represented by the virtual vehicle image. Through theforegoing processing, the vehicle display device can display on thedisplay unit, in an intuitive and easy to understand manner, thecircumstances surrounding the host vehicle. Thus, the vehicle displaydevice can achieve an effect of being capable of displaying thecircumstances surrounding the host vehicle appropriately.

Although the invention has been described with respect to specificembodiments for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims arenot to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying allmodifications and alternative constructions that may occur to oneskilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein setforth.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle display device comprising: a displayunit disposed in a host vehicle and displaying an image; an imaging unitthat captures an image of circumstances surrounding the host vehicle;and a controller configured to perform processing through which, bycontrolling the display unit, a virtual vehicle image representing avirtual vehicle imitating the host vehicle is displayed, and the imageof the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle captured by theimaging unit is pasted for display as a reflected image representingreflection in the host vehicle onto an outer panel of the virtualvehicle represented by the virtual vehicle image.
 2. The vehicle displaydevice according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the displayunit to vary an orientation of the virtual vehicle represented by thevirtual vehicle image according to changes in the image of thecircumstances surrounding the host vehicle captured by the imaging unit.3. The vehicle display device according to claim 1, wherein thecontroller controls the display unit to emphasize a specific objectimage representing a specific object included in the reflected image. 4.The vehicle display device according to claim 2, wherein the controllercontrols the display unit to emphasize a specific object imagerepresenting a specific object included in the reflected image.
 5. Thevehicle display device according to claim 1, further comprising: a hostvehicle status detecting device that detects a status of the hostvehicle, wherein the controller varies the orientation of the virtualvehicle represented by the virtual vehicle image according to the statusof the host vehicle detected by the host vehicle status detectingdevice.
 6. The vehicle display device according to claim 2, furthercomprising: a host vehicle status detecting device that detects a statusof the host vehicle, wherein the controller varies the orientation ofthe virtual vehicle represented by the virtual vehicle image accordingto the status of the host vehicle detected by the host vehicle statusdetecting device.
 7. The vehicle display device according to claim 3,further comprising: a host vehicle status detecting device that detectsa status of the host vehicle, wherein the controller varies theorientation of the virtual vehicle represented by the virtual vehicleimage according to the status of the host vehicle detected by the hostvehicle status detecting device.
 8. The vehicle display device accordingto claim 4, further comprising: a host vehicle status detecting devicethat detects a status of the host vehicle, wherein the controller variesthe orientation of the virtual vehicle represented by the virtualvehicle image according to the status of the host vehicle detected bythe host vehicle status detecting device.
 9. A vehicle display devicecomprising: a display unit disposed in a host vehicle and displaying animage; an acquisition unit that acquires an image of circumstancessurrounding the host vehicle, the image being captured by an imagingunit; and a controller configured to perform processing through which,by controlling the display unit, a virtual vehicle image representing avirtual vehicle imitating the host vehicle is displayed, and the imageof the circumstances surrounding the host vehicle acquired by theacquisition unit is pasted for display as a reflected image representingreflection in the host vehicle onto an outer panel of the virtualvehicle represented by the virtual vehicle image.